Adjustable cutter



Jan. 17, 1950 Filed June 8, 1946 R. J. BRADLEY ADJUSTABLE CUTTER 2 Shets-Sheet 1 INVENTO ROBERT J. BRA EY BY W 1 ,4 M m; Qua/ aw ATTORNEYS Jan. 17, 1950 Filed June 8, 1946 R. J. BRADLEY ADJUSTABLE CUTTER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 ATTORNEYS Y l atented Jan. 17, 1950 ADJUSTABLE CUTTER? Robert-J. Bradley; Cleveland;Ohiorassignor: :of one half. tooEdmund R. Mecklenburg,-.. Cleve'- land, Ohio Application June s, 1946, SrialNbrG'lfiBSS 6 Claims. (01. 299405)- l' The invention 1 relates: to rotary "cutters,s .and::: particularly to novel andiimproved'cutting nevieesr of this nature :wherein: the position ofnth'e. actual; cutting tool. is adjustable.

cutting .11neans-for readily and-rapid1y3varying.the.- radialispacing of the cuttingtoolsfromtheaxis of rotati'on;;. p v

A further object is to provide means for: readily isparticularlysadapted forwusein power driven cutting. machines in. which: a work piece: clampedioreotherwise held onra baseor bed-plate; I andzamuttingroperationis performed by means of An. object :of ithezinuention; isatozprovidecface one onzmore 'cuttingxtools fixed to a rotatable cutting head. Meansfiareprovided for effecting:ap--

preach movement between the cuttings-head and the surfaceof. thework'pie'cen Apparatuswfonpere formingiallsaid operations isuwelbknownsand' will and: rapidly varying both: .the aforesaid. radial 10; mot here beshown: or described in detail; the pres spacing of the tool, and likewise the positionioii the tool along: a :line para1le1-to4the axis of rota-- tion.

ting tool" is longitudinallywarialel'esin a-directiom. parallel-to the axis of rotation, iand issimultaneouslyvariable inza directioni normal .to the plane of rotation.

ent. invention: being ;concerned on1y;with the :sp e-- cine novel. and: improved. structure :of the 7 cutting;- head; Thosecskillediinrthezart will: realize that a": cutting operation-"Joan aloe performed equally well ting-means whereinrthepositiorr of theactual cut- 15 eithertbyrholding-the.workiand moving rthe tool, or:

holdingzzthe $13001 and rmoving: the Work; in other: words:bysrelative motionibetween work and tool;

For convenience .-inrth'e present specification-the terminology face: cutting?! isvuse'd with reference A- further; object is. to 1 provide a. rotary. cutting .110: the L-type :ofcoperation :wherein a rotating cuthead comprising;a-::p1ura1ity of concentric-mines. adapted to be assembled-in rsuccession, one. upon another, each said ring being provided with meansfor retaininggone zor more cutting, tools thereon...

fronnthe center. of rotation-may -be=increased or decreased at willw. by respectively adding or removing a ringv atthe outerperiphery. of the cut.- ting head.

from a study of the following specification inconjunction with. -the accompanying. drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is afrontelevational view of-arotary cutteachings of the presentinvention;

Fig. 2 is a viewpartly in-sectionzandpartly in elevation, taken. on the .line-22 of Fig.1 1;

Fig. 3 is afragmentary view;-andsomewhatenlarged, showing structuraldetailsiofthe embodi .-0fi.the head;i Thezcutting. head isrotatab1e=in.a:- planeznormal-to the surface to-be cut.= Whilean edge cuttingoperation may.be utilized in a variety of ways tocproduce arespective variety of surface effects, it iszpartioularlyadapted tothe production ef-slots;-grooves; channels, orundercut-areas or? limited-sizes ibelowwthe :generalplane surface: of

an article. Edge cutting .with relatively narrow ment illustrated .in Fig.1;

Fig. 4 isa sectional view taken on the line 44 l of Figs. 1 and3;

Fig. 5 isa fragmentaryside elevation of the cuttinghead showing a=porti0n of the outer periphery ofcthe-cuttinghead and details ofthe-tool. holding means; I V

Fig. 6 is a fragmentary front: elevational view of a slightly modified-former the invention tingfheadi carries one or. more: cutting. tools pro-- je'cting from iaziiace ithereofstwhich' is generally parallelito therplane iofdahe cuttingheadrrotation, andzlikewise aralleltothe race: to becut. In suchwhereby the radial distance of the-cutting.-.-too1s g5 iace'rcutting;ioperationizsuccessivexlayerszof stock; ofzfanil'ssuitabla thickness "are removed over an area: approximately.coextensive in. width with the diameterrof. the path; of; rotation of the tool,- and :ofs any desired length dependentuponthe. ca Other obj ectsand advantages: will-be apparent- 3oepacity-ifor endwis'e atravelxorthemachine bed, Or -j 'the cutting head carriage. A face cuttingoperationzisa:particularlyadaptedfto-thesproductioniof planarzsurfaoes of; substantial area.

Likewise;:. inithe-ipresent' specification, the terting head constructed in accordance with the: minology1edgeEcutting is:use'd.to..define a cut-. tingsoperation:iwherein: a-rotary; cutting: head of the-general:type characterized-in' the last preceding paragraph, carries one -orxmore-cutting toolsprojecting radially; from. avperipheral edge face toolsvisralso.frequently-used for completely. severing Jporitionsvof an; article,- or-ziorproducing -7-rabw Figs. 7, 8; 9 and; 10-arerviews tal zenrespectively-- 50-,.betediedge"grooves; dovetail: grooves,-etc..

Fig: 11 .isa seetionalwview of a specific edge. structure of a' rotarys-cutten-head :and work piece; illustrating aanother; adaptation of the.-invention;

Inithe face cuttingandedge cutting operations I just-described itis --often. desirable to change the efiective diameter-.- of the cutting. head, therebychanging-gtheradial spacing of the cutting (tool. Speakingifirstogenerally; the-present inventionelill from:the center r-ofrotationr. The present inven 3 one immediately therebeneath. The outer peripheral surfaces of the hub 20, and the inner and outer peripheral surfaces of rings 24, 25 and 26, are all frusto conical in contour, each such surface being a sliding fit upon the one immediately beneath it. The hub is fixed on the shaft in any suitable way. Ring 24 is attached to the hub by 1 a plurality of fillister head screws 21 inserted from the rear of the cutting head and angularly inclined so as to pass through ring 24 and have a threaded seat in the hub. Recesses 28 are provided wherein the screws are seated to permit the screw heads to be depressed below the plane of the rear surface of the head. Each successive ring is united to the one immediately within it by identical screws in the same way.

The outer periphery of each ring is provided with a circumferentially spaced series of grooves or channels 30 each adapted to receive a substantial portion of the shank of a cutting tool 3|. It is normally intended that only the channels in the outer ring of the head assembly contain tools. For face cutting purposes each tool projects forwardly from the face towards the work. Each tool extends substantially normal to the front face of the cutting head, that is to say the face which is generally parallel to the surface to be planed. Each such channel in the outer ring may carry an individual cutting tool, but it is not necessary that each channel be so occupied, and a lesser number of tools may be disposed in any suitable spacing provided the cutting head is not seriously unbalanced so as to give rise to centrifugal strains at high lineal speeds of rotation. Each tool is retained in place by one or more set screws 33 (Figs. 2 and 5) the set screws being seated in depressed pockets 34 one such pocket lying adjacent each groove. Sufficient stock remains in the wall 35 between each pocket and its respective tool channel to support a threaded portion of the screw shank.

In a shop equipped with adjustable cutting heads constructed in accordance with the present invention, the tool room may conveniently maintain a selection of rings of varying dimensions by the use of which any normal cutting head size may be built up within a few minutes to the particular diameter desired.

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate a somewhat modified means for holding the ring assembly in operative position. In this embodiment one or more straps 38 are attached by screws 39 to the rear face of the rings, each such strap radially extending over a plurality of the rings, and being attached to some or all of them. Other suitable means for holding the rings in rigid assembly will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Figs. 8, 9, 10 and 11 illustrate the adaptation of the present invention to several varieties of edge cutting operation. The views show only a fragmentary portion of outer ring 26a, the sections being taken as indicated on the outer ring of Fig. 6. The general assembly of the rings and the provision of tool grooves in the periphery thereof, are identical with those in the embodiments already shown and described. Three respective types of cutting tools identified respectively by reference characters 40, 4| and 42, are illustrated, each one having a shank portion seated in a transverse groove, and a cutting edge portion 40a, Ma and 42a projecting outwardly therefrom. The three said cutting portions are transversely staggered at successive grooves, so that in combined efiect they are capable of cutting a groove of uniform cross section, and of a width equivalent to that of the total transverse extent of the cutting edges of the three tools. It will be apparent that an approximately equal number of each of the tool types 40a, 41a and 42a can be suitably spaced and successfully staggered around the periphery of the ring 26a.

Fig. 11 illustrates another embodiment of the invention adapted for the cutting of a stepped groove in a work piece 44. The groove 45 has a deeper centrally disposed channel 46 in the floor thereof. Channel 45 may conveniently be produced by one series of tools 41 having their cutting portions 4'la centrally located in the periph: eral grooves of ring 26b. The shallower groove 45 can be produced by two tools which have their respective cutting edges 48a and 49a at opposed ends of their respective grooves. It will be obvious that cutting edge 47:: protrudes radially beyond 48a or 49a. Any desired step arrangement can be secured by proper choice and arrangement of tools.

The invention hereinabove disclosed provides means for rigidly adjusting a cutting head for performing a face cutting operation, a planing operation, or an edge cutting operation over any desired area, within reasonable bounds. Heretofore the substitution of an entire cutting head was usually necessary, or some other expedient was required which entailed an undesirable amount of set-up work. By means of the present invention it may be necessary, in a particular instance, merely to add or remove a single ring to reach the dimension desired, such operation being the work of only a few minutes.

What I claim is:

1. In apparatus of the type described wherein relative rotary cutting movement is produced between a cutting tool and a work piece, adjustable tool holding means comprising a hub, an inner ring concentric with the center of relative rotary movement and telescopingly carried on said hub, and a second ring concentric with and telescopingly carried upon said inner ring, said inner ring and said second ring having upon their respective exterior peripheral surfaces, means for retaining a cutting tool thereon.

2. In apparatus of the type described wherein relative rotary cutting movement is produced between a cutting tool and a work piece, adjustable tool holding means comprising a hub, a plurality of concentric rings arranged in a telescoping series of increasing diameter outwardly from said hub, said rings being adapted to be fixedly mounted each upon the one within and adjacent thereto, the smallest ring being attachable to said hub, each said ring having upon a circumferential peripheral surface thereof means for retaining a cutting tool thereon.

3. In apparatus of the type described wherein relative rotary cutting movement is produced between a cutting tool and a work piece, adjustable tool holding means comprising a hub, an inner ring concentric with the center of relative rotary movement, and telescopingly carried on said hub, and a second ring concentric with and telescopingly carried upon said inner ring, said inner ring and said second ring each having upon a circumferential peripheral surface thereof a circumferentially spaced series of transverse grooves, each such groove :being adapted to receive a shank portion of a 'cutting tool.

4, In apparatus of the type described wherein relative rotary cutting movement is produced between a cutting tool and a work piece, adjustable tool holding means comprising a hub, a plurality of concentric rings arranged in a telescoping series of increasing diameter outwardly from said hub, said rings being adapted to be fixedly mounted each upon the one within and adjacent thereto, the smallest ring being attachable to said hub, each said ring having upon a circumferential peripheral surface thereof means for retaining a cutting tool thereon, a circumferentially spaced series of transverse grooves, each such groove being adapted to receive a shank portion of a cutting tool.

5. In apparatus of the type described wherein relative rotary cutting movement is produced between a cutting tool and a work piece, an vadjustable tool holding head comprising a hub having a frustoconical peripheral contour, a ring having an inner frustoconical periphery seatable upon the external periphery of said hub, means for fixing said ring on said hub, the external periphery of said ring having a series of circumfere-ntially spaced channels extending in the direction of the axis of rotation and adapted to receive a shank portion of the said cutting tool.

6. In apparatus of the type described wherein relative rotary cutting movement is produced between a cutting tool and a work piece, an ad- 6 justable tool holding head comprising a hub having a frustoconi'cal peripheral contour concentric with the axis of relative rotation, a plurality of con-centric rings arranged in a telescoping series of increasing diameter outwardly from said hub, each said ring having frustoconical internal and external wall surfaces disposed in parallel conic planes, each said ring being fixedly mountable upon the one beneath, and the smallest ring being fixedly mountable upon said hub, each said ring having upon its exterior peripheral surface an equally spaced series of transverse grooves extending in the direction of the axis of rotation, each such groove being adapted to receive a shank portion of a cutting tool, said head being readily diametrically adjustable by addition or removal of a ring whereby to space the cutting tools on the outer periphery of the outer ring at any desired distance from the axis of rotation.

ROBERT J. BRADLEY.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,411,390 Tibbetts Apr. 4, 1922 2,392,002 Ross Jan. 1, 1946 2,422,111 Lundberg June 10, 1947 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 355,580 Great Britain Aug. 27, 1931 

